ABSTRACT
The future performance of all economies depends on the availability of new technology and the effectiveness with which it is employed. International technology transfer is an important complement of domestic technological development. For most countries, it is an essential complement. The international transfer of technology presents three kinds of problems: finding access to the desired technology; using the technology developed or imported, that is, absorptive capacity; and coping with the consequences of successful transfer of technology. Among the industrial countries there are concerns and disputes about transfer that involve political and military issues, primarily between Japan and the United States. Most of the really advanced technology is transferred within and between firms, only incidentally between nations. Among the industrial countries, appropriate policies include the free exchange of scientific information and participation in collaborative research activities.
